Tack button



Oct. 22, 1935. Y Fl R WHITE v 2,018,104

TACK BUTTON Filed Nov. 2, 1954 Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE The Patent Button Company,

Waterbury,

Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 2, 1934, Serial No. 751,209

3 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in tack buttons, and has for an object to provide a button that is relatively cheap to manufacture and durable in service.

5 As is well known, tack buttons consist of the button head proper, a number of which are placed 1n the hopper of a button attaching machine while tacks are placed in a separate hopper, and the positioning of each button head on the mal() chine is synchronized with the forcing of a tack up through the material to which the button is to be attached and into the button head, the tack head being curled or deformed within the button head during the attaching operation to l5 thus form a permanent fastening of the button to the cloth.

The present button is somewhat similar in its broadest aspects to the button shown in Patent No. 1,744,350, granted to Franklin R. White, Leonard 2O R. Carley, and Walter T, Abel, in that the button includes a shell o-r button back, anvil, and cap, the lower extremity of the hub being somewhat ared, so that the material of the deformed tack may occupy the enlarged portion of the hub t 25 thus more tightly hold the button. y

However, I have found that it would be advantageous to provide an additional reinforcement in the lower extremity of the hub, which reinforcement will permit of a better coopera- 304 tion of the tack with the button head and will also act as a proper guide for the tack in passing through the hub of the button head and thus provide a more uniform curling or deforming of the tack within the head.

35v It will be understood that the shell or button back is of relatively thin material and there is a possibility of the tack being not properly aligned when passing through this relatively thin material of the button back.

40 One of the objects, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a relatively thin button back or shell and to provide an anvil, sometimes called a slug, for curling or deforming the tack on attaching the button. Also there is addition- 45 ally provided a hard metal reinforcement which is jammed tightly within the hub, which jamming will, in turn, increase slightly the diameter of theI hub at its lower end. This reinforcement will tend to properly guide the tack on its way to the 50 anvil and furthermore hold the hub or shank of the tack in its vertical position during the deformation or curling of the point of the tack which, of course, occurs when the tack contacts with the anvil or slug.

55 With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawing showing a preferred embodiment of my invention and two slight modifications of slugs or anvils,

Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of my improved button showing the reinforcing plate within the now enlarged lower end of the hub l0 and showing a fragmentary portion of the cloth to which the button is to be attached and the tack directly beneath the button head;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the button after being attached to the cloth;

Fig. 2a is a cross sectional View similar to Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the button with the hub partly broken away to expose the reinforcing plate;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the button shell 20 or back before the reinforcing plate is in final position;

Fig. 5 is a view of the button shell with the reinforcing plate in position and after the same has been jammed in the hub and pierced;

Fig. 6 is a slightly modified form of anvil;

Fig. '7 is a still further slightly modied form of anvil; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the reinforcing plate or disc.

Referring now more particularly to the several views and for the moment to Fig. Li, there is shown the button `back comprising what term the body I the outwardly extending flange 2, and the slightly tapered hub 3. This shell is formed of relatively thin metal and is so far conventional in construction.

Referring for the moment to Fig. 5, there will also be seen the button back or shell but in this instance there is shown the reinforcing plate 4 40 having been forced within the lower end of the hub 3, the reinforcing plate 4 thus being held against movement within the shell.

It will be understood that the hub of the button is slightly tapered so that when a reinforcing plate, which is larger than the diameter of the lower extremity of the hub, is dropped in, it will come to rest at a point above the bottom wall of the hub. However, pressure is then applied to the reinforcing plate to jam the same downwardly to the bottom of the hub, which jamming action will cause it to be enlarged or swaged and also increase the diameter of the bottom of the hub to tightly grip the reinforcing plate and hold the same in position.

The next operation is to pierce the bottom of the hub and the reinforcing plate, as shown in Fig. 5. Y

As may be clearly seen in Fig. 5, the hub has 'the crimped or rolled appearance, as at 5, after the reinforcing plate lV is jammed in position. Then the hub of the button head is pierced so Ythat there will be the opening 6 and alsorthe small registeredopening E inthe reinforcing plate 4. This reinforcingplater is preferably made of V.relatively hard metal so` that theside Walls of .opening Se, while the body portion extends outwardly, as at 9, overlyingrthe body I of the button. This anvil orslug having the slightly constricted mouth will allow the tack to properly enter the chamber 8 and guide the tack point during its deformation.

' Then crimped over the flange 2 is the cap VII) which may have any raised insignia II thereon Vas desired. Ornamented caps are no novelty so a further description of the same is not thought necessary.

In'Fig. 1, there is also shown a tack I2 and the shank I3 is to be driven up into the button head and deformed, as shown in Fig. 2a.

, VAs `heretofore mentioned, these' tack buttons are always attached in what is' known as a button attaching machine and a plunger (not shown) will force the button head down against the cloth while a tack being in position will be forced Y through the small opening S of the hub and guidmi* ed in its upward movement by the side Walls of the openingv 6' within the Vreinforcing plate 4. A portion of the shank I3 will then be deformed, as shown at III in Fig. 2a, due to its being jammed against the anvil Aand will extend downwardly 'i and overlie and closely Contact ,the reinforcing Y plate 4, thus tightly clamping the button head to the material I5 to which the button is shown as attached.

It .will be seen that by providingrthis reinforc-v ing plate, there is no likelihood of the tack not being properly centered or properly positioned with respect to the button head as the shank of the tack will be guided by the side walls of the opening and until the tack point contacts with the upper wall of the circular formation in theV anvil. Y Y

In Fig. 6. I have shown a slightly modied anvil Y 'la and in thisinstance it will benoticed that the chamber is slightly deeper in the anvil while the mouth or entrance to the chamber is not constricted. Likewise, in the modified form shownV in Fig. '7, the anvil 1b has the chamber 1 but in this instance the chamber is substantially hemispherical in form.

It Will beV understood, however, that I prefer in most instances to use the anvil as shown in V5 the preferred form, as the constrited opening has a tendency to-more perfectly guide the tack in its deformation during the attaching period.

I am awarethat in the patent to Ford, No.

1,873,372, there is shown a Smau disc but it 10Y will be understood that this disc in reality is a Vfastener engaging element and not a reinforcing a hub tapering slightly toward its lowerextremity which latter is slightly enlarged, a metal reinforcing perforated disc held Vtightly withinV the enlarged extremity of the hub, an anvil located in the hub and at its lower portion bearing 25 t against said metal reinforcing perforated disc, a cap oversaid anvil and the rim of the shell, the said metal reinforcing perforated disc. adapted to properly guide the prong of a tack to the anvil, and the anvil adapted to turn the prong of the 30 tack downwardly and against the said metal reinforcing perforated vdisc.

2. A tack button comprising a shell, saidV shellV formed of relatively Vsoft metal and having an upwardlyextending peripheral rim, an integral hub having a slightly enlarged lower extremity, a hard metal reinforcing perforated disc clamped Withinrrthe enlarged extremity of the hub, 4an. anvil of relatively hard metal also located in the hub and having a chamber therein with a re- 40 stricted opening above the opening in the perforated disc, a cap on VVsaid button shell, the'hard metal reinforcing perforated disc and the anvil adapted to guide and deform a tack VWithin the chamber during an attaching operation.. 45

3. A tack button comprising ashell, said` shell Y formed of relatively soft metal and having an upwardly extendingY peripheral rim, an integral hub having a slightly enlargedV lower extremity, a` reinforcing perforated disc of relatively hard metal clamped within said enlarged extremity, Y an anvil having a chamber with a restricted opening in said hub, a cover over said shell, the anvil Yadapted to mutilate the prong of a tack and de-Y form the same down against the reinforcing perforated disc, and the reinforcing perforated disc adaptedrto properly guide the tack to the chamber in the anvil.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE. 

